Is A Stress Test Advisable For Person Suffering From COPD?

Posted on Fri, 21 Aug 2015

Question: Hello, I am scheduled to have a stress test next week. I have COPD and I have difficulty catching my breath even with minimal exercise. I am having stress just thinking about this. My father had the nuclear test where something was injected and said it was horrible the way his heart pounded and wouldn't stop until the medicine was out of his system...he thought he would have a heart attack. I have panic attacks as well and this has me extremely worried...should I forgo the test or is there another option?

Answered by Dr. Lilit Baghdasaryan (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Other options are stress echo and CT angiography

Detailed Answer:
Dear Mrs,

There are different stress tests. In your case pharmacological echo stress test with dobutamine could be the best option. In case of nuclear stress test you shouldn't worry so much as majority of patients have no such feelings after contrast ejection. If your father tolerated bad, it doesn't mean, that the same will be with you. There are good chances, that you will tolerate it better.

And the other option us CT angiography, which is not stress test, it allows imaging coronary arteries with contrast injection. It is very short examination and usually well tolerated. But in this case, the test is expensive and with radiation

Hope I could help you

Wishing you good health

In case of further questions don't hesitate to ask

Regards,

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar